In 2013, at the Reading Agency Annual Lecture, Neil Gaiman
said “Libraries really are the gates to
the future. So it is unfortunate that, round the world, we observe local
authorities seizing the opportunity to close libraries as an easy way to save
money, without realising that they are stealing from the future to pay for
today. They are closing the gates that should be open.”

He also said: “…libraries
are about freedom. Freedom to read, freedom of ideas, freedom of communication.
They are about education (which is not a process that finishes the day we leave
school or university), about entertainment, about making safe spaces, and about
access to information.I worry that here
in the 21st century people misunderstand what libraries are and the purpose of
them. If you perceive a library as a shelf of books, it may seem antiquated or
outdated in a world in which most, but not all, books in print exist digitally.
But that is to miss the point fundamentally….. But libraries are also, for
example, places that people, who may not have computers, who may not have
internet connections, can go online without paying anything: hugely important
when the way you find out about jobs, apply for jobs... Librarians can help
these people navigate that world.”

Between 2004 and 2010, 83 neighbourhoods in Brent and Harrow
became more deprived, one of the fastest growing areas of deprivation.Edgware, where Bob Lawrence is situated
ranked the most deprived when Free School Meals was used as an indicator and is
one of the 5 most deprived wards in the borough.In the circumstances, it makes little sense
to close Bob Lawrence Library, a vital community space in an area which has few
resources.